LAS VEGAS -- Still a couple of years away from his team relocating to Southern Nevada, Athletics owner John Fisher has already moved into the Las Vegas area to fully focus on the club’s next chapter.
With the A’s in town last weekend to play two exhibition games against the Angels at Las Vegas Ballpark -- home of the A’s Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators -- Fisher spent some time with reporters inside the A’s dugout on Sunday morning to discuss all things regarding the team’s new ballpark that is quickly coming together about 20 miles away on the Las Vegas Strip.
Here are some highlights from that media session.
On how the new stadium’s revenue-making powers will help the A’s field a competitive team and keep players under contract longer.
“It all starts and ends with the fans themselves. All teams work hard on building sponsorships, but the fans are what drive the success of teams. Ticket sales, suites, and then being able to do events outside of baseball is going to be a really important part of what we want to do. It’s hugely important in Las Vegas. Baseball plays its games over a six-month period, which gives a lot of time for us to be able to do everything from concerts to conventions to other sporting events to high school graduations, all kinds of things.
"We’re looking to have a really substantial tour business so that people can come in and see this work of art, which is the stadium, and the art that we’re going to actually have in the stadium. We’re excited about how much programming we’re going to be able to have and make ourselves a bigger and more important part of the community.”
On seeing what was originally just a stadium blueprint on paper coming together in physical form.
“If you come by the site, I think you’ll get a sense of why when I walk around and see the work that these guys are doing, it’s kind of almost indescribable. You see these buildings and they’re just so much more bigger in person.
"… To be able to play a part in building something that’s going to be an important part of this community for generations to come, you look at other really important baseball stadiums like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field that have been around over 100 years. We hope that what we’re building here is something that is going to equally be important over time for this community.”
On the difficulties that come with such a large project.
“They happen kind of every day. If you’re the superintendent, there are difficulties every minute. He told me that he’s out there walking 20,000 steps a day just making sure that everybody is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
"For us, these kinds of projects have all kinds of ups and downs to them, but we think that we’re actually in a good place. We’re on track, timing-wise. Our plan was to finish at the beginning of 2028. That’s still our plan. We’re on budget. For the most part, most of the project has already been bid out, so we feel like we’re in pretty good shape from a budget perspective.”
Any update on naming rights for the new ballpark?
“We’re talking to a lot of different companies. These things don’t always happen in a straight line. We’re meeting with a lot of different companies, whether it’s local, in the United States or even international companies.”
On the biggest focus during A’s games in Las Vegas during Spring Training and the June 8-14 homestand at Las Vegas Ballpark to connect with the team’s new community.
“Right now, we have our fan zone and it all starts with youth. If you can appeal to your youngest fans, then their parents have to follow, and then the young fans become adults. We all know that the teams you grew up rooting for are the teams you root for today.
"… What’s really important to us is to appeal to families and kids. We know there’s a lot of baseball fans here who are not A’s fans yet. But the same thing could have been said about the Golden Knights, the Raiders, the Aces. For us to be able to really focus on connecting people to our team and what makes us different, what makes us exciting, what makes us part of Vegas, so many of our players came from playing Triple-A baseball in this ballpark.
"So, if you’re a young fan watching an Aviators game and watch Nick Kurtz play, then you can follow him 20 minutes away to watch him play on Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard, you’re hooked for life.”